1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to data display on small screen devices, and more particularly to systems and methods for displaying two-dimensional data on small screen devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent advancements in cellular phone technologies have made instant communication easier and faster than ever. Originally analog, cellular systems have evolved to a digital format, which has enabled the cellular phone to become a smart phone having increased data storage capability and access to the Internet. Cellular phone systems generally include numerous base stations, each covering a small geographic area, known as a “cell,” that slightly overlaps adjacent cells at the borders. The cells, combined with low power transmitters, provide a communication network for cellular phone users.
The reduced costs and instant communication ability of the cellular phone has resulted in an increased dependents on cellular phones when away from the home, office, and when traveling. Moreover, because of the memory available in most cellular phones, increasingly complex data can be stored in cellular phone memory, such as electronic phonebook data.
Electronic phonebook data is a form of two-dimensional data that commonly is stored on cellular phones. As will be explained in greater detail subsequently, two-dimensional data, as used in the present description, refers to two data sets related to each other, such as in a spreadsheet or phonebook. For example, a phonebook typically includes a list of names. Each name generally has associated therewith a number of data entries, such as telephone number entries and email address entries. For example, a particular name may have a work telephone number and a home telephone number associated with it. A similar relation occurs in other forms of two-dimensional data, such as a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet, for example, generally includes a plurality of rows, each having a plurality of columns associated with the row.
Unfortunately, small screen devices such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) have a limited amount of screen space to display information, generally in the range of about 108×96 pixels. Even when higher resolutions are utilized, the small size of the screen limits the information that can be displayed. For example, at a resolution of 1024×768 pixels, the screen can only display ten rows of lines if the screen is two inches in height. Small screen devices typically can display a single set of data, which generally is displayed using a user interface representation of a list. However, when data is two-dimensional, such as the phonebook described above, a small screen device generally cannot display both data sets on a single screen. As a result, two-dimensional data generally is split into two or more screens of data, as illustrated next with respect to FIGS. 1A and 1B.
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a prior art small screen display of a phonebook directory list 100. The exemplary prior art phonebook directory list 100 generally includes a signal strength indicator 102 and a battery power indicator 104 in addition to the phonebook data. The signal strength indicator 102 informs the user as to the signal strength currently available at the user's current location, while the battery power indicator 104 informs the user as to the current power available in cellular phone's battery. The actual phonebook data generally includes a plurality of name entries 106a-106d and a selection indicator 110, which is utilized to select particular names from the plurality of name entries 106a-106d, as described below.
A phonebook generally is ordered by names, with each name having a plurality of data associated with it, such as home phone numbers, work phone numbers, mobile phone numbers, and email addresses. However, as mentioned above, the physically small screen size of small screen devices generally does not allow displaying all the above information simultaneously. Hence, the data is split into various screens. For example, the first screen of an electronic phonebook typically shows a list of names 106a-106d, as illustrated in FIG. 1A. The user can browse through the list of names 106a-106d using the selection indicator 110.
Once the user finds the desired name, the selection indicator 110 is used to select the name entry. For example, in FIG. 1A the user has moved the selection cursor 110 over the name entry 106a “Jim Smith.” The user then confirms their selection, typically by pressing an “enter” or “select” button on the phone. Upon receiving the selection, the phone displays a second screen for the data associated with the selected name entry, as illustrated next with reference to FIG. 1B.
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a prior art small screen display of secondary data 150 for a phonebook directory. As above, the exemplary prior art secondary data display 150 generally includes the signal strength indicator 102 and the battery power indicator 104. In addition, a typical secondary data display includes the selected entry of the first data set listed prominently at the top of the display, and a list of related entries from the second data set below the selected first data set entry. For example, in FIG. 1B, the phonebook data includes the selected name entry, in this case “Jim Smith” 106a, listed prominently at the top of the display 150, and a list of entries from the second data set below the selected name entry 106a. In this example, the second data set entries include a list of phone number entries 152a-152c related to the selected name entry “Jim Smith” 106a. Each phone number entry can also include a number type indicator, such as “W” for work 154a, “M” for mobile 154b, and “H” for home 154c. The user can browse through the list of phone numbers 154a-154d using the selection indicator 110.
Once the user finds the desired phone number entry 152a-152d, the selection indicator 110 is used to select the phone number. For example, in FIG. 1B the user has moved the selection cursor 110 over the phone number entry 152b, which is the “mobile” phone number entry for “Jim Smith.” The user then confirms their selection, typically by pressing an “enter” or “select” button on the phone. Upon receiving the selection, the phone calls the selected phone number.
As can be appreciated from the above example, the conventional two-dimensional data display used for small screen devices has several problems. First, the user cannot see any phone numbers in the first screen, which generally lists only the name entries for the electronic phonebook. As a result, the user is required to switch screens in order to obtain the required data, in this case the actual phone numbers. Second, the user generally cannot dial the phone number of a person in the first screen. Although some electronic phonebooks allow a default number to be associated with a name entry, the user cannot dial a number from the first data screen if the desired number is not the default number for the selected name entry.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method for displaying a two-dimensional data on small screen devices. In addition, the method should allow easy navigation of both data sets from the same screen.